Seed-cleaner



(No Model.)

J. W. HENRY.

SEEE CLEANER. No. 512,702. Patented Jan. 16, 1894.4

lll H. III

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- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH W. HENRY, OF WESTPORT, MISSOURI.

SEED-CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.1512,702, dated J' anuary i6, 1894. Application filed July 8,1893. Serial No. 479,875. (No model.) l

f To all whom it mag/concern..-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH W. HENRY, of Westport, Jackson county, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seed-Olean ers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to seed-cleaners, and has for its object to produce a seed cleaning apparatus which is effective in operation, and which is simple, durable and cheap of construction.

- With this object in view, myinvention consists in certain peculiar and novel features of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In order that my invention may be fully understood, I will proceed to describe it with.,

reference to the which- Figure 1, is a side elevation of a seed cleaner constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2, is a vertical longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3, is a vertical cross sectional view takenY on the line wof Fig. 1. Fig. 4, is a vertical sectional view taken on the line fy-y accompanying drawings, in

Y of Fig. 2. Fig. 5, is a side view of one end of the fan wheel shaft to more clearly disclose the eccentric thereon. Fig.v6, is a sectional view through the eccentric portion of the shaft, and showing a portion of the eccentric rod in dotted lines and connected to said eccentric. Fig. 7, is a vertical sectional view to show the manner of tensioning the wind deiector-boards or valves. Fig. 8, is a detail perspective view of the casting or bracket secured to the fan wheel casing.

In the said drawings, l designates a series of standards or uprights which are arranged or disposed Vrectangularl'y,'and these standards or uprights are connected near their l lower ends by horizontal cross bars 2, and near their upper ends by horizontal cross bars 3; thus forming a strong and substantial framework. It is to be understood, however, that this framework forms no essential part of my invention, and that it may be formed in any suitableY manner as occasion -may require.

Mounted in the upper portion of this framework is a fan-Wheel casing, consisting of the sides 4-4, and the circular rirn 5 which unites said sides near their outer margins. The sides 4 at their front end are extended for a suitable distance as shown at 6, and the rim or connecting portion 5 is extended from its lowest point horizontally forward for a suitable distance and connectssaid sides 6' at their lower margin; thus leaving an opening in the front and lower side of the rim 5 through which the air is forced. A suitable distance forward of the upper end of said opening the side-walls 6 are recessed at 7, and connecting the side walls 6 at the lower and inner end of said recess is a horizontal bar 8.

A bar or strip 9 is secured to the inner margin of the bar 8 and projects thereabove for a suitable distance and also extends from side wall to side wall. l

Connecting the outer ends of the side walls 6 is an inclined deflector and guide-board 10. Circular openings 11 are formed centrally through the circular side portions 4 of the casing, and extending centrally therethrough is a shaft 12 upon which the fan-wheel 13 is mounted. This fan Wheel shaft at 14, is journaled in bearings 15 secured to the `adjacent standards 1, by screws orother suitable means, and carried upon the outer end of this shaft is a gear-pinion 16 which meshes with aV gearwheel 17 mounted upon a stub-shaft 18 carried by a bracket secured to the framework. This gear-wheelis preferably provided with a crank-handle 19, by which it may be loperated. FormedY near the ends 0f the shaft 12 are the eccentric enlargements 20, and pivotally mounted upon said enlargements at their rear ends' are the actuating bars 2l; these bars being pivotallyconnected at 22 to the rear ends of the inclined shoe 23. The shoe 23 has its longitudinally extending side walls connected by the bottom plate 24,'and this bottom plate terminates a suitable distance from the outer ends of said side walls. The side walls are also united at their lower and inner and outer corners by cross strips 25 upon which the screen section 26 is mounted. The shoe 23 is inclined oppositely to the board 10, and rests at its inner end upon the cross bar 8 and at its outer end upon the said defiector and guide board 10. It will thus be seen that when in position this shoe `forms practically a continuation of the extensions 6 of the fan casing and that the bottom 24 IOO thereof divides said extensions into an upper and lower compartment, the outer ends of which communicate. Pivotally mounted between the side walls of the casing at the j unction of the sides 4, extensions 6, and the upper margin of the opening in the rim 5, is a valve or wind-board 27; this valve or wind board extending transversely of the fan-casing, and is adapted to close the space between said casing and the upper compartment, that is, the inner end of the shoe 23. Ihis valve 27 is provided with a handle 28 upon one end at the outer side of the casing, by which it may be operated, and is formed with a recess in its opposite end into which a set-screw 29 passing through the other side of the casing engages, so that the valve board may be Vso "tensioned that it will hold any position iu which itis placed, to'permit more or less of the air-blast to pass intothe upper compartment A valve 30 extends horizontally freni siderwalltoside wall of the fan casing, and

islocated beneath the inner end of theshoe "23;iand is adaptedtocontrolthe passage of Tair intothe lower compartment, and this valve -isalso provided at one side ofthe casing with ahandle 3l and' is also adapted to be provided'withia tensioning device similar to the setscrew 29,\at` its opposite end. `That por- *tion'of `the side walls 66 of the casing ex- "tendingfrom the outerend of the rim 5 to the detiector board 10 is beveled as shown at 32,

`f'orapurpose tobe4 presently explained. A

`Ushaped bracket 33 is secured by screws orlother' suitable means to `one side of the casing, and this bracket is formed with a cy- 'lindricalstud or projection 34 which pivotally engagesan opening, at the junction of an upwardly `extending arm 35 and a downwardly V"extending arm36 of a bent-levergthe up- Wardlycxtending arm being arranged ap- `prmiimatelyat rightangles to the shoe 23, andpivotally engaging a stud, similar to the stud 34, of a bracket 37 secured to theadjacent side of said shoe 23.

1 The arm 36 extendsat right angles to the `beveled margin 32 `at the lower side of the fanl endof the arm 36.

casing. Alshoeconsisting of the sidewalls 38 andthe bottom 39 is arranged to extend `parallel andadjacent to the inclined margin 32 of the fan-casing. This shoe is provided The other end ol' theshoe fis provided at its under side with the brackets 41from which `project downwardly teeth 42,and'these teethengage each an elliptic `'gear-wheel 43, mounted loosely upon screws 44,"` which pass into the adjacent standards of ythe framework. By raising the free and lower end of said shoe a suitable distance,

"these elliptic gears may be operated to a new position, so that the elevation of the free end may be changed.

Secured in the upper portion of the framework so that its open lower end shallbe above and communicate with the inner end of the shoe 23 is a grain hopper 46 of the usual construction.

The operation is as follows: The grain beingintroduced or-poured into the hopper 4G passes down and into the inner end of the shoe 23. At the same time the fan wheel is operated to cause a blast of air to pass below the valve 27, which is opened as shown in Fig. 2, and intersect said grain in its passage from the hopper to the shoe and blow or remove the chaff and dust therefrom, and at the same time that the fan wheel is operated the eccentric enlargement 2O causes the longitudinal reciprocation or shaking of thelshoe 23 5 this reciprocation or shaking, because of the eccentric enlargement'20, givingsimply a short, quick shake in a plane corresponding to the inclination which the shoe occupies; 'and therefore avoids any joltingor jarringrmovement of the shoe. This movem'entfsiftsi-the finer grain and particlesthronghwthe' screen `section 26, `upon the bottom `24, andlWhen this grain reaches -`the outer 'end `of saidbottom 24 and begins torfall uponorrpassbylthc dedecting board l0, the air passingthrough the lower compartment, the valve `30 ofiwhich is opened" for this purpose, shbjectsiit to` a second cleaning action and the arrangement of the' deliecting board is `such that this grain shall be guided into the upper endiof` the lower shoe, and that the air passing through the lowercompartment shall 'alsobe `directed up through the outer end of the screenfsection 26 and removeanyfdust or chaffw` 1from `the coars'er graiuwhichvis fed from' the end of the shoe 23, intothe receptacle (not shown) placed for the purpose. The tinergrain which descends into thelower shoe, which is provided with one or morescreen` sections of the usual constructionand arrangement,is agairrsubj ected to the' sifting operation'gfthe-lower@shoe obtaining its shaking or reciprocatoryimovement from the upper fshoe'througliithermedium` of the bent-lever;` and by' arrangingrthe arm 36 approximately'at right anglesltofthe shoe, a longitudinal movementis` obtained `in the plane of said shoe. This longitudinal movement of the lowerfshoeseparatesthe grain `into different gradesiu the rusual `manner, and through theconnection 'ofthc'iteeth 42, therewith, the elliptic gear-wheels arefsiln- `ply rocked upon "the bolts 44, 'the longitudinal movement of the shoe being onlyvslight. It is found in practice, that the short smooth "shake obtained from the pivoted `leverconnecting the separating shoes, and havingits "armsapproximately at right angles to fthe planes of saidshoes, better `facilitates the separation of seeds ofdifferent kinds from each other, than any jarring, jumping "or jolting motion, the tendency of which lis rather to more thoroughly mi-x than separate'theseeds From the above description, it will be seen that I have produced a seed cleaner, which is effective in operation,and which is simple, durable and inexpensive of construction.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a seed cleaner, having a suitable framework, the combination with a fan casing having a fan, a grain hopper, and a shoehaving screens operatively connected to the shaft of the fan, and a second vshoe arranged below the rst mentioned shoe and inclined oppositely and a strap or bar pivotally carried by the fan casing and pivot-ally connected to the first mentioned shoe and pivotally connected 15 to the last mentioned shoe, and an elliptic toothed-wheel adj ustably mounted upon a pivot, and a tooth depending from the lower or last mentioned shoe and engaging said wheel, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I ax my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH WQHENRY.

Witnesses:

- G. Y. THORPE, M. P. SMITH. 

